I’m sitting in my western civilization class, watching my professor pace the front of the room. He’s talking fast, using big hand motions to act out a scene from history.
“Now you guys all know that story from the Bible, right?” He stops walking for a second and looks at the class expectantly. All around me people are nodding. I sit there staring ahead, confused. I have absolutely no idea what he’s talking about, but I don’t ask.
I’m not religious, I haven’t been to a church service in years, and I’m not alone. Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study found that 3.1 percent of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity, up from 1.6 percent in a 2007 survey. Four percent of Americans call themselves agnostics, up from 2.4 percent in 2007.
But that’s not the whole picture. According to the same study, “there are many people who fit the dictionary definition of ‘atheist’ but do not call themselves atheists. About three times as many Americans say they do not believe in God or a universal spirit (9 percent) as say they are atheists (3 percent).”
Atheism has long been viewed as something immoral or wrong, especially in the deeply religious south. It’s taboo; people don’t talk about being atheists. The Religious Landscape Study found that “two-thirds [of atheists] (65 percent) say they seldom or never discuss their views on religion with religious people.”
That needs to change. There needs to be a greater emphasis on religious diversity in our country. People automatically assume that, because I’m a white, Southern girl, I must be a Christian. As a kid, I remember going over to friend’s houses and being asked by their parents what church I go to. I always had an arsenal of answers ready. My default was that we were between churches at the moment.
I’m tired of teachers assuming that every student in the room is religious. Not everyone is going to know that seemingly obscure story from the Bible.
There’s such a big emphasis on religious culture in our country. There’s a Senate and House Chaplain that opens every session with a prayer. Both the RNC and DNC were opened with prayers. Our Pledge of Allegiance states that we are “one nation under God.” The president ends their swearing in with a “so help me God.” Presidential candidates are quizzed on their religion, and half of Americans say they would be less likely to support an atheist for president.
Being non-religious shouldn’t be seen as something bad. I have morals that are just as strong as my religious friends. I have my own ways of making sense of my place in the world. Being religious doesn’t automatically make someone a good person, just as being non-religious doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person. A president’s religion shouldn’t matter, because it wouldn’t affect their job. It just means they wouldn’t be going to church on Sunday morning.
Atheism doesn’t have to be some pretentious, taboo word. People should feel free to express their views and beliefs. After all, we are all granted the freedom of religion, and that includes the freedom to not have a religion.
Our country has come a long way in fostering and encouraging diversity, yet religion is never part of the conversation. Religion, or the lack thereof, is important to so many people, but we never talk about it. No one tries to understand each other. We have to start a conversation in our country so that we can begin to de-stigmatize atheism. By putting so much emphasis on religion, we’re alienating a whole group of people and shaming them for their beliefs. It’s about time we seriously approach the topic of religious diversity.
Chandler Gory is a sophomore majoring in political science. Her column runs biweekly.
